BERKELEY, Calif. – The No. 6 Sun Devil Water Polo team captured fifth place at the 2018 MPSF Women's Water Polo Championship, defeating No. 20 San Jose State, 13-3, Saturday afternoon at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
Arizona State (16-9) caps the MPSF Championships with a 1-1 record, bouncing back after falling to fourth-seeded UCLA in quarterfinal action on Friday.
The stars shined bright in the final match in Berkeley, as a decorated senior class played outstanding throughout the afternoon. Leading the way offensively, Lena Mihailovic registered her first five-goal performance and her second hat trick of the season. She had plenty of help, as Arizona State featured a balanced attack that was predicated on ball movement. Julia Reyes, Alkistis Benekou, and Maud Koopman each added a pair of goals to round out what was an excellent effort for the Sun Devils.
Mia Rycraw was spectacular in net, as the redshirt senior reached a milestone thanks to a brilliant 15-save performance. Rycraw, who was recently named to the All-MPSF Second Team, eclipsed the 800 career saves mark. She now sits at 814 saves, the third most in school history. In all three season she has been the Sun Devils main goalkeeper, Rycraw has finished with at least 200 saves.
Lena Mihailovic recorded the opening tally for the Sun Devils in what would become a theme, as the senior attacker was a force all afternoon. Leading 1-0, the Sun Devils took a 2-0 lead courtesy of a Julia Reyes goal with 23 seconds left in the period. Mia Rycraw set the tone for what would be one of her best outings of the season, shutting out the Spartans through the first period.
The Sun Devils would respond loudly after San Jose State scored their first goal of the match to open up the second period. Maud Koopman converted on a 6-on-5 opportunity, giving extending the lead back to two goals. The Arizona State offense would not be finished there, as they established a rhythm beginning in the second. Lena Mihailovic scored her second goal of the match followed shortly after by a goal from Bente Rogge, as the sophomore buried a penalty shot to put ASU up 5-1. Lena Mihailovic's productive first half continued, as she completed the hat trick with 55 seconds remaining in the half. The Sun Devils would take a 6-1 lead into the break, thanks to a few acrobatic saves from Mia Rycraw.
It would be much of the same in the second half, as the Sun Devils continued to control the action on both ends of the pool. Bouncing back after the Spartans scored the opening goal of the half, Julia Reyes cashed in on a 6-on-5 opportunity as the Sun Devils re-took a five-goal lead. Maud Koopman dished a beautiful feed to Alkistis Benekou, who executed a tip shot perfectly to score the eighth goal of the match for Arizona State. Feeling confident in the midst of her best performance of the season, Lena Mihailovic continued to pile on adding her fourth goal of the match on a rocket shot past the Spartans goaltender. The power play was working all afternoon, as Maud Koopman converted yet another 6-on-5 chance. With 2:21 left in the third period, Catherine Simko put ASU on top 11-2 with her fourth goal of the season. The Sun Devils would maintain that 11-2 lead, with the defense riding a special outing by Mia Rycraw.
Never relenting in their effort throughout the match, the Sun Devils pushed through the fourth quarter to earn the victory. Alkistis Benekou notched her second goal of the match and Lena Mihailovic capped the match in fitting fashion, as she scored her fifth goal of the match to reach the 30-goal plateau for the second consecutive season. Mihailovic became just the second Sun Devil this season to record five-goals in a game. Rycraw kept the Spartans from cutting into the double-digit lead, as the redshirt senior's 15-save effort represents her 10th double digit save outing this season.
The Sun Devils cap the season with a record of 16-9, with 14 of those wins coming over teams that were ranked in the CWPA Top 25. Arizona State continuously proved they could play with anyone, knocking off four Top-10 teams and hanging tough with several Top-Five powerhouses. The Sun Devils will have the rest of the weekend off as their postseason fate will be determined on Monday, April 30th at 5:00 P.M. PT during the NCAA Women's Water Polo Selection Show. Stay tuned to our website and follow us on all of our social media platforms for postseason information with a season recap coming soon.
Join the conversation all season
Twitter: @SunDevilWP | Facebook: Sun Devil Water Polo | Instagram: @SunDevilWaterPolo
Goals: Mihailovic (5), Koopman (2), Benekou (2), Reyes (2), Simko, Rogge
Assists: Allin, Casas, Koopman, Rogge, Cassidy
Steals: Mihailovic (4), Allin (2), Huck (2), Reyes, Beaudet, Rogge, Rycraw
Saves: Rycraw (15)
Arizona State (16-9) caps the MPSF Championships with a 1-1 record, bouncing back after falling to fourth-seeded UCLA in quarterfinal action on Friday.
The stars shined bright in the final match in Berkeley, as a decorated senior class played outstanding throughout the afternoon. Leading the way offensively, Lena Mihailovic registered her first five-goal performance and her second hat trick of the season. She had plenty of help, as Arizona State featured a balanced attack that was predicated on ball movement. Julia Reyes, Alkistis Benekou, and Maud Koopman each added a pair of goals to round out what was an excellent effort for the Sun Devils.
Mia Rycraw was spectacular in net, as the redshirt senior reached a milestone thanks to a brilliant 15-save performance. Rycraw, who was recently named to the All-MPSF Second Team, eclipsed the 800 career saves mark. She now sits at 814 saves, the third most in school history. In all three season she has been the Sun Devils main goalkeeper, Rycraw has finished with at least 200 saves.
Lena Mihailovic recorded the opening tally for the Sun Devils in what would become a theme, as the senior attacker was a force all afternoon. Leading 1-0, the Sun Devils took a 2-0 lead courtesy of a Julia Reyes goal with 23 seconds left in the period. Mia Rycraw set the tone for what would be one of her best outings of the season, shutting out the Spartans through the first period.
The Sun Devils would respond loudly after San Jose State scored their first goal of the match to open up the second period. Maud Koopman converted on a 6-on-5 opportunity, giving extending the lead back to two goals. The Arizona State offense would not be finished there, as they established a rhythm beginning in the second. Lena Mihailovic scored her second goal of the match followed shortly after by a goal from Bente Rogge, as the sophomore buried a penalty shot to put ASU up 5-1. Lena Mihailovic's productive first half continued, as she completed the hat trick with 55 seconds remaining in the half. The Sun Devils would take a 6-1 lead into the break, thanks to a few acrobatic saves from Mia Rycraw.
It would be much of the same in the second half, as the Sun Devils continued to control the action on both ends of the pool. Bouncing back after the Spartans scored the opening goal of the half, Julia Reyes cashed in on a 6-on-5 opportunity as the Sun Devils re-took a five-goal lead. Maud Koopman dished a beautiful feed to Alkistis Benekou, who executed a tip shot perfectly to score the eighth goal of the match for Arizona State. Feeling confident in the midst of her best performance of the season, Lena Mihailovic continued to pile on adding her fourth goal of the match on a rocket shot past the Spartans goaltender. The power play was working all afternoon, as Maud Koopman converted yet another 6-on-5 chance. With 2:21 left in the third period, Catherine Simko put ASU on top 11-2 with her fourth goal of the season. The Sun Devils would maintain that 11-2 lead, with the defense riding a special outing by Mia Rycraw.
Never relenting in their effort throughout the match, the Sun Devils pushed through the fourth quarter to earn the victory. Alkistis Benekou notched her second goal of the match and Lena Mihailovic capped the match in fitting fashion, as she scored her fifth goal of the match to reach the 30-goal plateau for the second consecutive season. Mihailovic became just the second Sun Devil this season to record five-goals in a game. Rycraw kept the Spartans from cutting into the double-digit lead, as the redshirt senior's 15-save effort represents her 10th double digit save outing this season.
The Sun Devils cap the season with a record of 16-9, with 14 of those wins coming over teams that were ranked in the CWPA Top 25. Arizona State continuously proved they could play with anyone, knocking off four Top-10 teams and hanging tough with several Top-Five powerhouses. The Sun Devils will have the rest of the weekend off as their postseason fate will be determined on Monday, April 30th at 5:00 P.M. PT during the NCAA Women's Water Polo Selection Show. Stay tuned to our website and follow us on all of our social media platforms for postseason information with a season recap coming soon.
Join the conversation all season
Twitter: @SunDevilWP | Facebook: Sun Devil Water Polo | Instagram: @SunDevilWaterPolo
Goals: Mihailovic (5), Koopman (2), Benekou (2), Reyes (2), Simko, Rogge
Assists: Allin, Casas, Koopman, Rogge, Cassidy
Steals: Mihailovic (4), Allin (2), Huck (2), Reyes, Beaudet, Rogge, Rycraw
Saves: Rycraw (15)